International

Left Unity is an internationalist party. There are no national solutions to the problems that humanity faces. Capitalism is an international system, highly organised and globalised and to defeat it we need to work together internationally too, with others that share our aims.

We want to learn from the experiences of other parties – like those in Latin America – which challenge and reject the neoliberal economic policies that are destroying our society. They are establishing social and economic alternatives in the interests of the majority of their people and they have lessons for us.

Peace not war spending

We stand for peace and equality between peoples. We oppose the exploitation of other countries for economic gain and we oppose imperialist intervention, whether, military, political or economic, and we stand against war.

We support nuclear disarmament – in Britain and worldwide – and a drastic reduction of military expenditure for the benefit of social spending, green jobs and sustainable development. We want a high-profile programme of defence job diversification. In the light of the recent rapid and effective switch from military production to ventilators and PPE by arms manufacturers to help with the Covid crisis, we have seen that, with political will, this can be achieved.

We want Britain to be independent, no longer tied to the ‘special relationship’ with the United States. To help make this possible, we call for Britain to leave the nuclear-armed military alliance NATO, to cancel the US/UK Mutual Defence Agreement and withdraw from the US/NATO Missile Defence system. Trident and its replacement must be scrapped and Britain must sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

To this end we actively campaign against nuclear weapons and war and oppose foreign intervention in other people’s countries. We want to see Britain’s military and emergency forces reconfigured around a new definition of security needs, peacekeeping and international humanitarian aid work. We also support fundamental reform of the UN and its institutions to help bring an end to the domination of the world by a small number of powerful states.

A different Europe

Left Unity does not call for withdrawal from the European Union, and we reject the current UKIP and Tory-led racist and xenophobic campaign against free movement of people within the EU (see Migration). But we recognise that the EU in its current form is a club for bankers and big business. It imposes neoliberal economic policies across Europe which increase the exploitation of ordinary people and attack our welfare provision. EU legislation like the Maastricht and Nice treaties underpin this.

We oppose the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and oppose joining the single currency. We support the European Left, of which Syriza is a member, and other similar parties and movements for a different Europe based on solidarity and democracy, and we support governments that stand up for ordinary people against the corporations, speculators and investment bankers.

International solidarity

We welcome asylum seekers to Britain and reject and challenge the argument that immigration is a problem. We reject the stigmatisation of migrants and ethnic minorities, and attempts to project some states – or people without a state like Kurds and Palestinians – as enemies. We oppose antisemitism wherever it arises.

Human rights are central to our work, whether in support of the Palestinians, Kurds or other oppressed peoples and groups. We support the struggle of LGBTQ people who face massive prejudice and discrimination in many parts of the world.

At the heart of our international work is a commitment to combating man-made climate change and protecting the environment and all forms of life (see Environment). If we don’t have a planet left we won’t be able to fight for a better, fairer world!

Support for Palestine

Left Unity stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle against oppression and dispossession. To this end, Left Unity supports the call by scores of Palestinian organisations (including all Palestinian trade unions) for a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it complies with its obligations under international law.

Read the full policy this part of the manifesto is based on.